from the chairman
Finding Balance
Despite what others might say, people versus things is a false choice. Rather, we must find the right balance to support our personnel and maintain our singular military capability.
It’s ironic that, when conflicts end, we focus on diminishing the one group risking their lives to protect the rest of us. This phenomenon harms our troops and their families because they are forced to sacrifice again and again. But it also should matter to the American public because downsizing our forces creates a very real risk to the nation.
It makes matters worse that we are contemplating disruptions to America’s all-volunteer force at a time when the nation’s economic growth is sluggish and employment is down. Instead of deepening the divide between the 1 percent who serve and the 99 percent who benefit from their service, we should be working together to strengthen our military foundation in a variety of ways.
If we listen to some, they would have us believe we are forced to make a choice between servicemen and -women and everything else — such as readiness, training, equipment, hardware, infrastructure, and force structure. But that’s a false choice and simply is not true.
The stability of our nation’s security relies on those who serve. It is not about pay and benefits versus things; it’s about achieving a balance between the personnel serving in the armed forces to protect our nation and having the volunteer, world-class force the nation deserves.
The single most important attribute of U.S. stature around the world is our military capability. And the single most important element of our military capability is our troops. We will be in a tough fight this year and in the future to protect the pillars of the all-volunteer force and avoid further reductions of the troops’ earned benefits.
I ask that you get involved and participate in various MOAA programs. This could be as simple as reading MOAA e-newsletters and responding to our legislative alerts.
Four-star-rated Community Blueprint sites implement at least two solutions to common challenges servicemembers and their families face in eight key areas: behavioral health, education, employment, family strength, financial/legal, homelessness, reintegration, and volunteerism.
Helping MOAA grow helps strengthen our ability to support the nation’s troops. I hope you will do what you can.
I look forward to working with you to maintain a strong all-volunteer force and support the high quality of life our military families deserve. Our troops are looking for your leadership support.
— Gen. John H. Tilelli Jr., USA (Ret)
We want to hear from you Can you suggest other ways members can participate in MOAA programs to support our nation’s troops? Log in to MOAA Connect at
connect.moaa.org to join the conversation. Search for the “Help MOAA support our troops” discussion.
14 MILITARY OFFICER JANUARY 2014
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